Best performing graphite iron shafts

[boycer]

Just want to get everyone thoughts. Thinking 105 range. Swing around 80mph with the 6 iron. 

 

Waht worked the best and why?  

 

[5underdouble]

I’ve personally liked the MMT graphite iron shafts the best. Tried a few different ones and they have the best feel and give me the most consistent performance. I would put Steelfiber second out of the ones I’ve tried, but they felt a little harsh to me. 

[golftech]

I’ve played Accra (Tour TiMesh) and MMTs in recent years.  Accra’s anre incredibly solid and shock absorbing.  MMTs have been great performing but a little harsher.   Also tested SteelFiber and Recoils but neither worked for me.  

[animalgolfs]

The only answer - get fit & see which one fits YOUR swing

 

Lots of solid graphite iron shafts out nowadays

 

Personally - I play Dart V 

[boycer]

I might buy a few heads and shafts and compare on the range/course. 

[markheardjr]

In the last year I have played MMT 125S, Steelfiber 125 S & X, and Recoil Proto 125 F5 (X.)

 

In my opinion MMT felt a little dead, little muted. I kind of liked it though, but I'd place it 2nd best. I could manipulate height, knockdowns were ok. Distance was a little shorter than I expected, but very consistent. I felt like it had a firmer midsection that did not load/unload, for a stiff flex, like I would expect. This tightened dispersion, but ball speed suffered. Shorter shots are less off line, know what i mean?

 

Steelfiber has a nice amount of kick but had an odd brittle feel to me, little more vibration. Steelfiber was the highest spin for me but had an odd height dispersion. Some were super low and some were super high. Steelfiber was 3rd place IMO.

 

Recoil Proto 125 was the best fit and feel for me and I'd place it top of list #1. Very consistent height and distance. A perfect blend of the previous two listed, and the silver metallic finish looks slick.  I think the Recoil Proto F5 was just a touch too firm for me, I'd probably be happy with an F4 flex.

[boycer]

17 hours ago, animalgolfs said:

The only answer - get fit & see which one fits YOUR swing

 

Lots of solid graphite iron shafts out nowadays

 

Personally - I play Dart V 

Never really saw these before. Have any more information? There is a set on ebay for sale in some srixon irons I'm interested in. 

[Streuner]

18 hours ago, 5underdouble said:

I’ve personally liked the MMT graphite iron shafts the best. Tried a few different ones and they have the best feel and give me the most consistent performance. I would put Steelfiber second out of the ones I’ve tried, but they felt a little harsh to me. 

Sorry, but the MMT in 105 is Stiff oder X Stiff only. I wish it would be different, but sorry. And with a 80mph 6i the MMT 105 Stiff will feel very harsh with tendencies of a telephone pole. 

[Streuner]

With a 80mph iron swing there are next to no options in the 105g range... 

the steelfibers are on the Stiff side, but there is a 110i Option in Regular available. I have never swung a Recoil heavier than 90g. But also the 105 Version is stiff only. Can be ok, but I would try them out before buy them….
AXIOM is the same thing like MMT, good shafts, on the stiffer side of the spectrum, I wish they would create an 105-110g Option for the 80mph iron swinger. 

Edited October 11, 2024 by Streuner

[rorykoepka]

What would you guys say are the lowest launching graphite shafts?
 

Tried the axiom 125x and they were ballooning like crazy. That ultra soft mid section did not work. One of the worst shafts I’ve hit in recent memory for stability and control. Went so much higher than x100 and the kbs family

[JustinTan]

I would actually recommend steel fiber on the contrary.

 

Just do note, that they are stiffer then the mentioned spec online.

 

If you are swinging your 6i at 80mph, i would recommend the 95g or 105g regular.

 

For some reasons, all my steel fiber sets run slightly lower on swing weights, could be due to the balance point of the shaft. So do note that you won’t be able to achieve anything more than D3 unless your head weight is adjustable or you wanna move to a lighter grip weight.

 

The flight is middle if i have to describe and spin rates are also around the middle. It honestly suits someone with a smooth tempo rather than deliberate or aggressive.

 

Theres a reason why it’s highly popular on the LPGA tour. And at your swing speeds, its consistent to what they swing on the LPGA.

 

I also find that matching the steelfiber graphite irons with my steel (Dynamic Gold) wedges a smooth transition in terms of feel. As the last thing you want is your irons feeling one way and your wedges feeling otherwise.

[jburden59]

On 10/10/2024 at 7:39 PM, animalgolfs said:

The only answer - get fit & see which one fits YOUR swing

 

Lots of solid graphite iron shafts out nowadays

 

Personally - I play Dart V 

Same.....tried all the top end graphite shafts....tried to get fit in the Axioms but the Dart V's were the clear winners.

[rorykoepka]

18 minutes ago, jburden59 said:

Same.....tried all the top end graphite shafts....tried to get fit in the Axioms but the Dart V's were the clear winners.

Did the dart feel stiffer in the mid section compared to axiom? What difference did you see in flight? Had massive issues with axiom so very curious about the dart

[PowerCobra98]

Dart V 105 for me and I have the same swing speed.   3 sets of irons with those shafts if that tells you anything. 

[dmeeksDC]

I don’t feel much life in the MMT shafts. They perform well but I like the feel of steel so much more that I did not stick with them. 
 

My favorite graphite shafts in the 100-110g range are the Kinetixx Ballistic 110g. Just a great shaft. These are the Paderson Kinetixx shafts but they are shortening the company name. Delivers a tight, controlled feel, almost like the Project X Rifle of graphite shafts but easy on the body. These Kinetixx shafts are unique designs and quite stable. So stable that their advice is to go one flex friendlier than you expect for optimal results. I did that and it was correct. In these I fit into 110g regular or 95g stiff (85 mph 7 iron swing speed). Expensive shafts but high performance. They also have them in black now and those look better to me than the green version. When I go graphite for good, these will be the top contender. 

My other choices are both really good and cheaper, the Accra 105g shafts (I like the older ti-mesh model) and the UST Dart V 105. 

[Stuart_G]

On 10/13/2024 at 8:31 PM, rorykoepka said:

What would you guys say are the lowest launching graphite shafts?
 

Tried the axiom 125x and they were ballooning like crazy. That ultra soft mid section did not work. One of the worst shafts I’ve hit in recent memory for stability and control. Went so much higher than x100 and the kbs family

 

 

If you go by the actual shaft specs, likeley the SF i-series.  It used to be the NV 105 iron shaft - but they don't make those anymore.

 

But shaft launch characteristics just based on the stiffness profile are a highly unreliable predictor of what flight you'll actually get - unless you happen to be a robot.  That's going to be different for different individuals and things like shaft weight and even head weight (swing weight), and even grip size (butt diameter) can play a much more dominant role in the flight you get.   So unless you make sure everything else is the same between two clubs, you can't really say that the shaft profile was responsible for the change in flight you might see when testing a shaft.   So just realize that other people's experiences are not going to be helpful for you - and sometimes even your own experiences can be misleading.

 

Edited October 15, 2024 by Stuart_G

[boycer]

Well I bid and won a zx5/zx7 combo with some dart v 105 stiff. Liok forward to getting the. A d trying them out. 

[eddiebigeddie]

I've been all graphite for the last 3 years now.  I've tried alot of different ones trying to find what works best for me. 

 

I've tried Recoil 110 F4 (stiff = to whippy), 110 F5 (xstiff = great but too light in weight), Steelfiber i110 stiff (felt dead and couldn't feel clubhead), Steelfiber i95 stiff (ok, but way too light), Fuji Pro Tour Spec 95x in a driving iron (really like this for this club, might be a touch too stiff, but works in that particular club).  

 

Now the 3 that I've really enjoyed..

1. Recoil Proto 125 F4 (stiff)  I got these and soft stepped them 1x and they are super super good shafts.  I have nothing but great things to say about them.  They are in the weight range that has always been my wheel house (118-122g), not overly stiff or too whippy...just right for me).  I was able to hit the shots I wanted to without any issues.  Felt great and did exactly what I wanted them to do as far as ease on my body and looks/feel/shots.  Only thing is they might be "slightly" and I mean ever so slightly heavy by the end of the round as they are the heaviest graphite shafts I've played.  No longer have as I sold the irons because the iron head was a little too demanding for me when I'm not playing alot.

 

2. MMT 105 stiff.  Just got these in a set of the new 925 Hot Metal Pros and so far I've been shocked at how good they've been for me (3rds in).  I thought the weight wouldn't be enough but so far being a little lighter but also firmer through the shaft has seemed to work great for my swing.  Like others have said, they do feel firmer more linear in the "waggle" test but when actually swinging them they've delivered a whole lot like the Recoil Proto did for me, except in a lighter package.  The black looks good against the silver heads too. As of now these are leading in my shaft choice.

3. Fuji Pro Tour Spec i115 stiff.  On a recommendation from a buddy, I gave these a shot and was pleasantly surprised how great they are.  They are a 116.5g shaft (parallel tip) so they worked with my Pxg's.  Alot like the MMT and Recoil Proto's they seem to deliver everything I want in a shaft.  They don't feel as firm as either of those and seem to have slightly more kick then both, but I could easily play these all day long.  

 

As it stands right now, my gamer set of clubs are the 925 HMP with MMT 105 stiff and my back up set are some Pxg 0211 XCOR Xtreme Black with the Fuji Pro i115s. 

 

There really are a ton of options out there, but you really need to try some of them out to see what works.  I knew from a fitting that the Steelfibers weren't right for me, the regular recoils I "tried" in a used set of irons I wanted.  The Proto set I purchased with hopes they would be what I wanted and the MMT were because thats what was offered for no upcharge through Mizuno.  

[jburden59]

On 10/14/2024 at 9:32 PM, rorykoepka said:

Did the dart feel stiffer in the mid section compared to axiom? What difference did you see in flight? Had massive issues with axiom so very curious about the dart

It was an indoor fitting so no "flight" characteristics.....the V's just had the tightest dispersion for me. 

[phizzy30]

On 10/13/2024 at 5:31 PM, rorykoepka said:

What would you guys say are the lowest launching graphite shafts?
 

Tried the axiom 125x and they were ballooning like crazy. That ultra soft mid section did not work. One of the worst shafts I’ve hit in recent memory for stability and control. Went so much higher than x100 and the kbs family

LAGP L-Series.  They play like PX LS/C-taper, IMO.  Don't launch too high and keep spin down.  

[rorykoepka]

6 minutes ago, phizzy30 said:

LAGP L-Series.  They play like PX LS/C-taper, IMO.  Don't launch too high and keep spin down.  

Perfect, thanks for the suggestion. Probably not in your weight range but would you know any shafts in the 95-110 gram range that has the same effect? Thinking of trying lighter but at worst case I’ll go with the LAGP at 120g if I have to

[phizzy30]

2 minutes ago, rorykoepka said:

Perfect, thanks for the suggestion. Probably not in your weight range but would you know any shafts in the 95-110 gram range that has the same effect? Thinking of trying lighter but at worst case I’ll go with the LAGP at 120g if I have to

I can't think of any.  Most graphite shafts are mid/mid regardless of weight.  

[Nessism]

On 10/11/2024 at 7:09 AM, markheardjr said:

In the last year I have played MMT 125S, Steelfiber 125 S & X, and Recoil Proto 125 F5 (X.)

 

In my opinion MMT felt a little dead, little muted. I kind of liked it though, but I'd place it 2nd best. I could manipulate height, knockdowns were ok. Distance was a little shorter than I expected, but very consistent. I felt like it had a firmer midsection that did not load/unload, for a stiff flex, like I would expect. This tightened dispersion, but ball speed suffered. Shorter shots are less off line, know what i mean?

 

Steelfiber has a nice amount of kick but had an odd brittle feel to me, little more vibration. Steelfiber was the highest spin for me but had an odd height dispersion. Some were super low and some were super high. Steelfiber was 3rd place IMO.

 

Recoil Proto 125 was the best fit and feel for me and I'd place it top of list #1. Very consistent height and distance. A perfect blend of the previous two listed, and the silver metallic finish looks slick.  I think the Recoil Proto F5 was just a touch too firm for me, I'd probably be happy with an F4 flex.

 

Great deal here...https://www.ebay.com/itm/354831212676

[Andygolderson]

i'm just wondering how anyone can judge their best performance without having tried multiple different shafts, in the same heads, on the course, multiple times over. The shaft is the only single variable that remains constant through the test for the most part.

 

Getting fit is nice, but it's usually indoors, on a mat for a 1 hour session. (no turf interaction, no climate, no weather, no wind and no target or obstacles).

My (biased and subjective) opinion is that it's mostly just a quick and easy way to generate money by using numbers to "prove to you" that it's best (from probably only a handfull of options available)

 

I'm enjoying Fujikura TRAVIL, i'd say they are the best performing i've tried.

Why ?

• They feel absolutely great - They are soft, but very stable (playing 115X)
• I love the trajectory they give on the course.
• I get excellent stopping power, within 1-2 feet of my approach, hard greens can still stay on without rolling over the back (yes, yes, ball choice....hold on. I've played 6 different balls recently to the same effect)
• They are consistent on the course, meaning that i don't have any feeling of torque or any signal that the face is not squared, unless i swung it poorly.
• They look slick.

Previous experiences were:

Recoil 105 -

played them for a few months back when i wasn't very good. I enjoyed them, however, they didn't have any feeling. Performance can't be measured because my ability then vs now is drastically different

Steelfibers -

played for a season I felt they were too stout. I played them in a one length setup which just felt really heavy. I don't doubt that they'd be stable and consistent, but i just didn't enjoy how they felt.

MMT -

It was almost like a rebar for my liking. Maybe a poor club balancing for weight, however, they wouldn't really get off the ground...with a wedge. I'm a little affraid of those super low spinners, you never know if you're going to grab or keep on rolling. (only range tested)

Axiom - 

Felt OK, pretty similar to TRAVIL. A friend set up 2 different clubs in other weights when i visited him and he asked me to compare it to my gamers. It also felt stout and heavy, despite being 105s compared to my 115X, but i expect the different head type and longer shaft came into play. (only range / indoor tested)

 

In my opinion, they all perform as good as each other, if you were a robot. You might find some variations, of course, but nothing completely breaking for an amatuer golfer. you'd need the same heads and same conditions and the same balls. Then again, maybe some shaft and head combos work, and some don't.

 

what robots can't measure, is feel. This is what i find most important. can you play well, to an acceptable peformance for your ability and enjoy them without having to think about which shaft you're going to swap into next ?

[CTG77]

I am using a set of SteelFiber i125CW shafts in a set of Toura CB pure raw Japanese forged irons.  The iron heads launched super high before when they were in X100 shafts, so I new that was going to be the case no matter what I did for graphite shafts.  I'd already tried an MMT125 TX shaft I had sitting around here and hated the feel of that, but also knew that due to another significant injury to my left elbow (the 4th in the last 30 years, and this one from ice hockey officiating) that left it looking like there was a golf ball of bursa fluid on around the joint that I'd better start figuring out how I was going to be able to practice more with less damage to my wrists and elbows.

 

So far, even though my elbow is far from healed, I consider this to be a success if for nothing else than my schedule below:

• Monday, 10-14:  Hit 100ish range balls and played 9 holes after working 13 high-level hockey games as an official all weekend long (my elbow pads were no longer friendly to my elbow at that point)
• Tuesday, 10-15:  Hit 250 range balls, most with the Toura irons and SF i125cw shafts
• Wednesday, 10-16:  Hit 175 range balls, also mostly with the Toura irons and SF i125cw shafts
• Thursday, 10-17:  Hit 125 range balls, also mostly with the Toura irons and SF i125cw shafts
• Friday, 10-18:  Day off
• Saturday, 10-19:  Worked a hockey game in the morning, hit range balls to warm up for 30-45 minutes, and played 18 holes.
• Sunday, 10-20:  Around working 3 hockey games, my wife and I did a Golf Galaxy simulator session in the morning for about 90+ minutes and I hit range balls for an hour (so about 130-150 I think) in the afternoon...probably a total of 250 shots.

I was sore yesterday morning, but I could do everything I needed to do, even though my elbow still looks awful a month after the injury.  Physical therapy starts tomorrow morning, but I'm thinking some sort of procedure is in my future on that elbow—at least to drain the fluid.  I know from the few weeks after the injury before I built the Touras on the SteelFibers when I was using my set of P7MCs on steel X100 shafts that I was sore the day after merely hitting balls for 30 minutes and playing 9 holes, so being able to attack specific parts of my game repeatedly over a few days in a row and not be in pain has been amazing.  I don't know if the i125 SF shafts will stay with me permanently, as I'll probably get fitted in the spring to find a more suitable long-term iron choice, but for now, as long as I can live with the reduced distances I'm getting because the Toura irons spin so ridiculously well and launch so high, I'll take the incredible side-to-side dispersion I'm getting with the SF shafts.  It's far better than it was with the X100 Tour Issue shafts I had in the P7MCs or the regular X100s I had in the Toura irons before the shaft swap.

[boycer]

9 hours ago, Andygolderson said:

i'm just wondering how anyone can judge their best performance without having tried multiple different shafts, in the same heads, on the course, multiple times over. The shaft is the only single variable that remains constant through the test for the most part.

 

Getting fit is nice, but it's usually indoors, on a mat for a 1 hour session. (no turf interaction, no climate, no weather, no wind and no target or obstacles).

My (biased and subjective) opinion is that it's mostly just a quick and easy way to generate money by using numbers to "prove to you" that it's best (from probably only a handfull of options available)

 

I'm enjoying Fujikura TRAVIL, i'd say they are the best performing i've tried.

Why ?

• They feel absolutely great - They are soft, but very stable (playing 115X)
• I love the trajectory they give on the course.
• I get excellent stopping power, within 1-2 feet of my approach, hard greens can still stay on without rolling over the back (yes, yes, ball choice....hold on. I've played 6 different balls recently to the same effect)
• They are consistent on the course, meaning that i don't have any feeling of torque or any signal that the face is not squared, unless i swung it poorly.
• They look slick.

Previous experiences were:

Recoil 105 -

played them for a few months back when i wasn't very good. I enjoyed them, however, they didn't have any feeling. Performance can't be measured because my ability then vs now is drastically different

Steelfibers -

played for a season I felt they were too stout. I played them in a one length setup which just felt really heavy. I don't doubt that they'd be stable and consistent, but i just didn't enjoy how they felt.

MMT -

It was almost like a rebar for my liking. Maybe a poor club balancing for weight, however, they wouldn't really get off the ground...with a wedge. I'm a little affraid of those super low spinners, you never know if you're going to grab or keep on rolling. (only range tested)

Axiom - 

Felt OK, pretty similar to TRAVIL. A friend set up 2 different clubs in other weights when i visited him and he asked me to compare it to my gamers. It also felt stout and heavy, despite being 105s compared to my 115X, but i expect the different head type and longer shaft came into play. (only range / indoor tested)

 

In my opinion, they all perform as good as each other, if you were a robot. You might find some variations, of course, but nothing completely breaking for an amatuer golfer. you'd need the same heads and same conditions and the same balls. Then again, maybe some shaft and head combos work, and some don't.

 

what robots can't measure, is feel. This is what i find most important. can you play well, to an acceptable peformance for your ability and enjoy them without having to think about which shaft you're going to swap into next ?

I like asking the question because I probably would have never thought about the dart v or looked at the fujikura travil. 

 

Played the recoil 105 and they were blah and I didnt like how the finish was holding up, steelfiber in i95 stiff and regular and i110 regular, mmt 105 stiff(didn't like them).  My best rounds have been with the steelfibers ans srixon irons. 

 

Hate hitting indoors and off mats. 

 

Just got my zx5/7 dart v ocmbo yesterday. Can't wait to try them. 

[Phabs]

On 10/21/2024 at 5:13 PM, rorykoepka said:

Perfect, thanks for the suggestion. Probably not in your weight range but would you know any shafts in the 95-110 gram range that has the same effect? Thinking of trying lighter but at worst case I’ll go with the LAGP at 120g if I have to

I've had good luck with the TGI 110's.  

 

I have two sets of them one installed and one 4-LW uninstalled. 

[Broken3wood]

On 10/22/2024 at 7:29 AM, boycer said:

Just got my zx5/7 dart v combo yesterday. Can't wait to try them. 

 

Have you gotten a chance to hit these yet? I've heard good things, and currently digging into what info is available. Any insight your able to provide would be much appreciated. Thanks

Edited October 27, 2024 by Broken3wood

[KillebrewKub]

Mmt 80-105g is a sweet spot imo. Better feel than steel fiber which I used to swear by, better balanced too.

[GDB67]

shimano true spec. 
circa 1998. Or so. 
only available through the Yakuza fitting centers. 
 $700-800 a set